This invention relates generally to a moveable road material reclamation device and method of use.
Any country""s infrastructure is heavily vested in its road system. In America, as with nearly every other country, a vast amount of the roads are surfaced with crushed rock or gravel. Crushed rock is a desirable road surface material for a variety of reasons, for example, it is relatively easy to produce and provides a relatively stable road base. Although roads surfaced with crushed rock have many advantages, there are problems that arise from the use of crushed rock as a road surface material. More specifically, the crushed rock on the surface of the roadway displaces due to vehicle traffic and erosion. Eventually, the crushed rock ends up on the shoulder of the road or in the ditch, leaving the road surface bare or exposing the rough subsurface ballast. The standard solution for fixing a roadway wherein the crushed rock has displaced from the road surface currently has two solutions, either deposit new material brought in from a remote location, or attempt to recover the displaced material from along side the road and reuse it. These methods create a variety of economical, practical and legal problems.
Depositing new road material is cost prohibitive. The new material must be purchased or produced, delivered to the site and then evenly distributed over the road surface. Each step requires specific equipment and equipment operators to perform the tasks, which adds to the overall expense. Further, additional hidden costs are associated with the application of new road material, for example, wear on vehicles, liability associated with heavy vehicle use on public roads and the further destruction of the roads due to excessive vehicle weight. Consequently, the recovery of displaced road material is generally desired over bringing in new or additional road material.
Road material reclamation is generally performed by employing a machine, for example, a road grader, wherein the grader""s blade is extended into the ditch to bring the displaced road material back to the top surface of the road. Subsequently, all of the material is spread evenly across the road surface. This current recovery practice is plagued by problems as well. More specifically, the blade indiscriminately brings all material that is along the side of the road onto the top surface including undesirable material such as large rocks, soil clumps and any type of debris commonly found along roads. This undesirable material creates road hazards that in turn subject the local county, state or municipality to liability for any damage resulting from the road hazard.
Yet another problem resulting from the displacement of the crushed rock road surface material is the undesirable altering of the road""s profile and the resulting encroachment of the road on private lands. As road material is displaced the crown and the shoulders of the road are altered. More specifically, the surface of the road accumulates ruts and the road base widens. The ruts and other road surface anomalies caused by a loss of surface material create hazardous driving conditions and also serve to increase the rate of road degradation. The widening road base often extends the width of the road past the road""s legal easement and thereby actually causing the road to xe2x80x9ctrespassxe2x80x9d on the property of the surrounding landowners. Such a trespass likely constitutes a taking without just compensation, which the United States Constitution protects its citizens against.
The present invention comprises a system for reclaiming displaced road surface material from along side a road. More specifically, the instant invention is a road material reclamation device including a movable frame capable of being attached to another machine. At least one cylinder drive mechanism attached to the frame and configured to rotatably support a cylindrical rotary screen. The rotary screen has an interior, a front section and a rear section, a side rolling surface located adjacent the front section and the rear section, each side rolling surface being configured to engage the drive mechanism. Located adjacent the front section is a flange section. A cylindrical end frame supports at least one cylindrical end roller, the end frame and at least one end roller being configured to engage the flange section and prevent axial displacement of the rotary screen. Additionally, a feed chute is located adjacent the rear section and is configured to direct material into the interior adjacent the rear section.
In accordance with further aspects of the invention, a method of reclaiming road surface material is disclosed. The method includes depositing a conglomerate of roadside material and debris onto a top surface of a road in a windrow. The material is then transported into a reclamation device wherein the reclamation device separates the material into usable an unusable material. The usable material is deposited to form another windrow on the road surface. Conversely, the unusable material is transported a distance from the road surface. Subsequently, the usable material is leveled across the road surface.
As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing summary, the invention provides an efficient device and method for the recovery of displaced road surface material.